Category Archives: Business

The best part of a post retirement life is that you can describe it in any way you want to. Some would say that they have stepped into a life that they have always wanted while others would say that they have not retired at all, it’s just another phase in their lives. This is what makes a retired life so interesting as it is all about the type of life that YOU want. It might be travelling to new places that you have always wanted to visit but couldn’t make it or it might even be picking up a new vocation – photography maybe! It is entirely up to you, the type of existence that you want.

Here are certain tips that you can use to plan for a retired life.

Have a positive attitude to life – Your ability to quickly adjust to a changed lifestyle will determine how you approach this phase of your life. Some aspects will be positive while others will be challenging. Retirement is definitely not one long part of life. The activities that you are able to carry out immediately after retirement will wane and fresh ones will take its place. The trick is to be constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to keep yourself engaged in tune with your physical and mental state. The only true transition is when you see yourself changed every time you look in the mirror. Getting older will be a physical issue and not a mental one if you can maintain a positive attitude to life.

Have a positive attitude to work – Regardless of whether your pre-retirement workplace was in a certified garage as car mechanic in Sunshine, Melbourne or as a sales executive in Sydney, you can contribute your skills, job knowledge and experience to society in some way or the other. This is also another way to carry on with the positive stresses in your life that you have been so used to and would surely miss post-retirement. If you have a positive attitude to work then the common notion that a retired life is sans work becomes irrelevant. Incidentally, the work you take up need not be highly paying or full time only, even a part-time work or being a volunteer in any field can be very satisfying too.

Fostering family and personal relationships – Human beings it is said are social animals. Personal relationships give a boost to the mental state and define the purpose to live. It also encourages you to meet the goals you have set in your life. Sharing lives and experiences on life’s journey post retirement with the people who truly matter is basically a validation and continuation of the “connect” established with colleagues pre-retirement. It is an opportunity too for sharing life with those who haven’t got enough of you pre-retirement. Psychologists say that the desire to share lives with others is a basic human need. You will now after retirement get lots of opportunity to fruitfully spend some quality time with your loved ones.

Being financially comfortable – Having a million dollars in your bank does not guarantee a happy retired life. Instead being financially comfortable and managing your existing resources in a fulfilling way will surely keep you happy. You will also have a lot to discover too. For instance, in your work life you might have always looked for top of the line garages for car maintenance. Now, you will have all the time in the world to realise that a cheap car service in Melbourne or wherever you are staying is in no way inferior to the swank service stations you are used to.

These are some tips on how to spend a fulfilling and happy retired life. What you ultimately decide to do depends absolutely on your mental setup and frame of mind.

So you have built your business up to the point where you are ready to hire staff to help you build and grow. However, knowing what to look for in a candidate is not as easy as it might seem. You need to be very careful and have a formal recruitment process in place when looking to hire employees. This will help improve the chances of hiring the best talent as well as avoid the painful and costly mistakes at the same time.

Shannon Pigram, a multi-talented manager and organiser working the HR field says, there are many different types of employees in a business, such as leaders, go-getters, followers and employees who do the minimum. You will also have employees who struggle from time-to-time or the ones who lose motivation. High and lows are inevitable, but according to him with the right attributes, your employees will use their skills to grow your company. His YouTube channel has various videos on this aspect which you can have a look at when hiring employees.

So, here are few characteristics you need to look in when hiring staff to grow your business.

Dedication

This is the first and foremost thing you need to look in when hiring the employee. Look for employees who have a no-nonsense and get-it-done attitude as these dedicated employees will help pull the wagon. Also, employees who are dedicated don not leave before their shift is over and tie up the loose ends and make sure that their work goes beyond and above of what is expected. When interviewing a candidate, ask them about their work ethic. Talk with their previous employer to find out if they have that dedication and drive to make your business successful.

Positive Attitude

A positive attitude is not only important to help your business grow but is an important prerequisite in general life as well. Employees with positive attitude help your business scale new heights. When interviewing candidates, look for the ones who don’t lose sight of their positivity when time gets tough. Value candidates with a good attitude and if the employee has had a bad experience ask them what they learned from it. Asking this will help you ensure that how positive the employee is. Additionally, positive attitude is important for developing a good relationship with co-workers as well.

Well Qualified

Of course, the employee you hire need to be qualified for the job, you just can’t hire someone to be a designer if they have a good attitude but no idea what they are doing. You need to look for skills and beyond what is mentioned in the job description, such as good communication or leadership qualities. This will help you get an idea of whether the employee could fill a management position in the future. Check thoroughly to see if a candidate’s skills, experience and educational qualification match what you are looking for. Give candidates tests and ask behavioural questions to ensure they are right for the job.

So, these are few of the characteristics you need to look when hiring staff to grow your business. However, finding the right staff is a painstaking process, you can take external help such as from recruitment agencies or hire Shannon Pigram, an HR professional responsible for company culture, developing learning programs and developing recruitment strategies to help hire the right candidates. Shannon keeps taking on new ventures and projects. To stay informed on Shannon’s latest projects visit wesrch and Etsy and also follow him on LinkedIn and Instagram.

When running a dentistry business within the industry, success relies primarily on two important aspects. These two aspects are crucial to success, yet many manage to completely lose sight of them in the daily business of running a dentist business.

The two aspects are the ability to properly manage both the clinical and the daily management aspects of the practice. Most dentists and practice owners make the mistake of only focusing on one of these aspects, completely ignoring the importance of the other aspect or simply minimising it.

Many dentists inherently understand the importance of improving their practical and technical skills. Several employ the use of additional training, either through personal development courses or a dental technology program. However, even though the dentist can now offer amazing surgery treatments, patients do not only respond to technical skills. In fact, many patients cannot differentiate between dentists with differing technical skills. If a dentist’s clinic management skills do not improve along with their technical skill training, the practice will not grow or flourish. Something that would be a shame for a dentist who has invested time and effort into further training programs and specialised knowledge.

The opposite mistake can also happen. The practice manager invests time and money improving the general clinic into growth. This can be through motivating patients for treatment, gaining new patients and presenting cases. However, while all these tactics are great business and management sense but they are not useful for improving clinical skills.

There needs to be a balance of both technical, clinical and practice management skills. Honing both skills will enable dentists and practice owners to provide exceptional treatment to patients while at the same time motivating and leading staff and patients to optimal dental health. Only by analysing your practice, its weaknesses and the needs of the patients, can any dental practice reach its maximum potential.

Both sections are completely reliant on each other, decisions made for one will have follow-on effects on the other aspect. So a decision to change a piece of technical equipment or train in a specific technique will have direct ramifications on the patients and the overhead control. In the same way, changes to practice management will directly affect the clinical treatment and practical aspects of treating patients.

Changing the technical aspects of the clinic can involve something as simple as the bringing in a faster and more exciting new piece of equipment. Something that many practice managers would hesitate at providing the initial outlay for without proven results. However, by gaining a piece of new technology, it can speed up the treatment process. With more immediate and reliable results, patients are more satisfied, and it frees up treatment sessions for new patients or cases, rather than needing several touch-up results. This then impacts the management, enabling a greater turnover and return on investment with a faster client turnover.

For the practice management aspect, one the biggest ways to improve in these areas is to train your staff in management and run a trained front desk properly. This mix of technical and practice management is the key to success for any dentistry office. When attempting to reach the maximum potential of your practice, it is only by synthesising these two aspects together rather than isolating them, that businesses can move past basic or substandard growth. The result is a happier, more stress-free and productive environment for the entire dental team, from front desk to patient.

In case you are an aspiring entrepreneur looking for business opportunities in a growing field, home security is certainly the stand out amongst the most quickly evolving business domains. And contrary to the general belief, it’s relatively simpler to get into. With a bit of research, a meticulous approach and lots of hard work, you can put your entrepreneurial skills to good use and carve out a thriving business for yourself.

Just like any other business, starting a home security system business entails a significant measure of investment in terms of time and money. With an adequate capital to invest, trustworthy providers of the security devices, and a suitable business plan, you can achieve success in this industry. Besides generating a considerable amount of revenue, you can draw immense satisfaction from the fact that you are providing peace of mind to your clients by securing their home, family, and assets and reducing the crime rate related to burglaries.

Before taking the plunge, get in touch with a reliable friend or associate with a prior experience of the industry to gain knowledge about different things related to opening a home security business including training, insurance, advertising and staff.

Knowing your rival companies plays an integral role in the formulation of your business plan. By gaining an insight in their manner of operations and promotion strategies, you can devise a marketing plan that will always keep you ahead of the curve. Besides that, it enriches you with information on the latest market trends and the most feasible locations to open the business.

To start a new business, it is mandatory to get your company registered with the state authorities to procure a tax identification number. It is advisable to contact the concerned officials to know about the necessary sanctions and regulations. Since the business revolves around security, you and your firm’s representatives may have to undergo a background check. These additional measures will contribute to the professional image of your business.

After all that preliminary work and completing legal formalities, the next step is to chalk out a suitable business plan. Fundamentally, this is plan will be your blueprint for success in the home security business. The strategy must be comprised of the security features you intend to provide, the financial sources, costs of operations, routinely activities, advertising endeavours, security devices and workforce requirements.

For the provisions of the security gadgets, whether it is burglar alarms or smoke security systems, make sure to set up an association with a reliable and professional.

As you develop your business, you will need to swing to existing customers to increase your revenue. You can do this by offering to overhaul their frameworks every year or by providing intermittent framework checks. In the process, you also demonstrate that you are always keen on their wellbeing, which in return benefits your business.

Home security is an extraordinary approach to establishing yourself in the business line and boost your bank balance, yet at the same time, it’s an ideal way to help families feel more secure, whether they’re at home or away from home.

It is definitely not possible to predict when a germ of an idea will grow to become a strong robust tree. This is similar to business ideas that come in a flash and can be nurtured into a successful start-up and then to an exponentially growing company. But there are some guidelines that should be followed to avoid any financial disaster.

The first factor in this respect is the financial means to get things rolling. Start small preferably with your own savings to avoid interest payouts on loans. Next, keep fixed costs down. Start from a small office in the house and stay away from paying rent. Hire absolutely essential staff to help you out. Reduced expenses on infrastructure initially will help boost savings that can be invested in expansion at a later stage. And most importantly, if it is possible, take a franchise of an established company, pick up the ropes and then branch out on your own.

There are a lot of business ideas that can be fitted in this format. Commercial cleaning is an example. Buy minimum equipment, store them in your house and hire people only if you get a contract for large premises. As your goodwill increases through favourable word of mouth publicity you can invest in fixed assets. If you are especially trained in a particular field like accountancy start with freelance finalisation of accounts for companies before establishing your own firm. Or if you already have an existing family business, try some new innovations and diversification of operations for a quantum leap in turnover.
After all the success of good start-up business ideas is proved in the growth of business.

Anybody wanting to enter the eco-friendly product industry has to be lauded. It shows a high level of awareness about the slow devastation of our planet being caused by the use of products laced with harsh toxic based chemicals. It also displays an eagerness to do something that will result in a healthy environment.

There are different ways that you can successfully enter an eco-friendly product industry. The first is to opt for manufacturing the products. But in this case a lot of capital will be required to start off and there will be a need to hire skilled and knowledgeable experts in this field. Exploring sources for raw materials, getting the required plant and machinery and hiring manpower can be extremely taxing for start-up entrepreneurs. Further, initially it might not be possible to manufacture the full range of product line of eco-friendly products due to financial constraints.

The other alternative for newcomers is to contract a franchise of an established company and set up a good network to look after marketing and sales. Take on as many products as possible to cater to every need of your potential clients. These will include alcohol free green and natural eco friendly cleaning products, hand and foot sanitisers, water remediation items, air fresheners and odour removers amongst others. Consider both domestic and commercial segments by stocking products in small and large packing.

Finally, and this is most crucial devise strategies to let people know that you are in business. Start small with referrals from friends and relatives. Keep products in your house to save on establishment expenses. Once you gain some ground, open a small storefront and expand from there. Get the necessary permissions and licence to run your business.

Eco-friendly products are the current rage. Organise your business well and you can’t possibly fail.

To be successful and to quickly get off the mark, it is essential that start-ups have a well planned strategy in place. And there is no better way than to hire a reputed consultant to draw up a business plan that incorporates all the goals and objectives of the start-up.

The following pointers will help any potential entrepreneur to build a successful start-up.

Be clear about what you want to start-up – In this age of business consultants and specialization, it is not essential that you have to be a professional in the area you want to set off. But a general idea will help you formulate and know what you want to achieve in the long run, the resources you’ll have at your disposal and the level of competition you might expect.

Start with a limited plan – It is good to dream big but start slowly. Be within your financial and manpower limitations. Take your time in creating solid brand awareness before you decide to branch out in a big way. Start from your home or from a small storefront. A case in point is starting Sydney commercial cleaning services which can be initiated within a limited space, barely big enough to store the cleaning equipment. This way you’ll be able to keep your preliminary expenses to manageable levels.

Funding of the start-up – Keep your borrowings down to low-interest loans only. The best option is to build up a small savings nest which you can dip into in the initial stages.

Start with a franchise – It is best to start off as a franchise of a big company in the field of your start-up. Learn the ropes well before branching out on your own.

Follow these simple tips and you’ll be on your way to building a successful start-up.

The world is slowly moving away from traditional marketing methods that mainly comprised of hoardings, print media, TV spots and door to door campaigns. In this Internet driven age it is online digital marketing strategies that really count. The exponential boom in smart phones and other Internet enabled device has resulted in buyers researching the product they are looking for online before arriving at purchase decisions. Hence, websites that are not high on search engine rankings and do not have a good and strong online visibility lose out on business opportunities.

It is for this reason that companies have taken the online marketing route to bring in more traffic to the website and increase sales and conversion. Digital marketing companies are helping them to achieve this objective with search engine optimisation (SEO) being the primary approach in this regard. Specialised tools are used to research keywords specific to the industry to know what people are typing in search engines to find out about products or services. Once this is known, the keywords are incorporated into the website and other unique content that is linked back to the site. The more effective the keywords are, the more quickly will the site be visible on search pages of major search engines. The result is more traffic to the site and increase in sales.

All this proves that if you market your services the right way you can increase your sales manifold. The best option would be to hire the services of top SEO companies in Melbourne, Australia to devise optimised SEO strategies for you.